This Thing
by Aya Rose
Summary: What do you mean Luna lives on a river in Egypt? That doesn't even make sense.
1. My Thing

Ownership of Harry Potter at this time = 0

Just borrowing the characters, don't mind me.  
  
It's practically Harry Potter night today. .

----

"You know, there are combat cooking schools in Japan. That would be fun to look into, don't you think?"  
  
Ginny just smiled for a moment again at Luna, before going back to reading her text for her Runes class. Luna was prone to spouting random bits of information, so it wasn't anything that unusual. It was just what she did.  
  
She and Luna had this.... Thing.  
  
Her first year, she spent most of her time with Tom. With finally being in school, with so many new people around her, she reverted to being shy, and withdrew into His Diary. Even when she was trying to get rid of it, she still had no one else to turn to.  
  
Loony was just her partner in Double Potions that year. Proffessor Snape was mean, almost spiteful to the Gryffindors, and practically ignored the Ravenclaws every class. But somehow they both passed.  
  
The next year, something had changed. Now she knew all her year mates by name. Even though she didn't feel like 'one of them' anymore, she could smile and nod and make conversation with everyone... Except Luna. Luna was always a strange factor, twirling her hair up around her wand when she was lost in thought, her face always buried in a newspaper or book. Completely unfazed when Snape would hit her with a question he knew she wouldn't know the answer to. Being picked on by students, it made Ginny angry that so many people would abuse her, just because she was a little wierder then normal.  
  
That year was covered with high security at every turn. Dementors reminding her of dark things she'd done, and just plain wierdness. Ron told her the true story of what happened to Scabbers, but the story was just so strange, it was eaiser to tell their parents he died of old age at first. Though she had to admit that Crookshanks was cute, and now she wanted a cat even more.  
  
Her third year was special. It was the year Luna Explained everything to her.  
  
They still had potions together, but that year they both had Runes and Care of Magical Creatures to handle as well. Everything seemed normal enough until the Christmas Holiday.  
  
For some reason, the rules said that only fourth years and up would be allowed at the ball.  
For some reason, she dug up a fourth year to go with her.  
For some reason, Luna stayed at school and helped her get ready for the ball, even though she didn't actually go herself.  
  
And Luna waited for her, through the dance, by the lake and late into the night, with a leather bound text in her lap, just so that she could help Ginny understand with her.  
  
Aparently, when Hogwarts had disolved into fighting among the houses, and Slytherin left, each founder retreated into what they found special, just to keep busy. The Chamber of Secrets and the Room of Requirement were just a few of the gifts left by the founders. And Rowena created and filled an entire bookshelf as she tried to understand why it had happened.  
  
Nothing on the shelf was particularly dangerous, so it couldn't be put with the restricted section. But the really sneaky, cunning thing about it, was that the shelf only appeared to those that it could help. The only book you could take would be the book that you most needed in the immediate future.  
  
And she explained: That Professor Snape wasn't completely mean, but instead baiting the students into studying. Angering the Gryffondors into learning. Giving status to the Slytherin that succeded in his class. Letting the Hufflepuffs work out where their own mistakes laid. And making the Ravenclaw seek out their own answers at every turn that it would be safe.  
  
How she liked being called Loony. The power that names have over people. What happened to her mother. Why her things would go missing on their own at times. She opened her heart, pouring it out until well after sunrise, flipping though and jumping to bookmarked pages, to find just the right words... Because that's just how the Ravenclaw are.  
  
Then, everything made sense. Why Professor Snape would start a class without telling them what was being made. Why Luna didn't actually look for her things, until at least the first set came back before summer break. Why she didn't feel bad calling her Loony, but everyone else seemed to fear calling her Luna where she couldn't see them.  
  
"I think we should get a cat. You know, to share on the weekends." Luna was still twirlling her hair around her wand idly, her mind elsewhere, but still remimbering everything, and only half expecting an answer.  
  
And Ginny wouldn't have it any other way.


	2. Devil's Advocate

Once again, more of the same, but different. .

Don't own Harry Potter, don't even think this will happen.... but it could you know.

-o-

"You know, you shouldn't do this."

I look into the lake and sigh, "I know, but Ginny deserves to know..."

"Know what? That you've been obsessing over her for almost 3 years now? That you spend more time wondering just what her lips might feel like instead of listening to Professor Haggrid?"

"Haggrid is an idiot."

"You're just saying that to avoid the question. You know he knows his subject."

Sighing, I trace the lettering on the book I've checked out, the leather cover and the numbing cold the only things that seem real right now, "I wonder if the squid ever has to deal with problems like this?"

"You're dodging the question again..."

"Yes, I am, okay! I just want Ginny to know how I feel..."

"Do you know how you feel?"

"Of course I do!"

"You know, it could just be hormones. You could really just be attracted to her pheromones. You could actually just be trying to get closer to one of her brothers. It might not be lo..."

"Okay, okay, just shut up... Maybe your right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm you."

"So I won't tell her tonight."

"As long as we agree on that."

"But when?"

"After experimentation of course. Simply see if you are as attracted to one of her brothers the next chance you get."

"You make it sound easy."

"The good answers usually are."

"...You know, she's still coming out here tonight."

"I know."

"What should I..."

"Simply tell her everything. Except that."

"That's allot of information."

"It's still hours till dawn."

"You can be a real jerk sometimes, you know that?"

"Yes, but I have to be. Otherwise you'd get hurt."

"I thought to truly open your heart, you had to be willing to be hurt."

"Are you willing to be hurt yet? Truly and deeply hurt?"

"...The stars look so nice tonight..."

"I didn't think so."


	3. Sunlight to a flower

Just continuing on a thread.

No tongues will be probing mouths in this one either. Sorry dears. .

Just have to establish an inanimate character first...

------

I really don't know.

Truthfully, I think I thought I knew what love was, but then I was wrong. So assuming I know what it is now would be a gross act of hubris.

I love my mother, but it is rather hard to overcome the perfect image one has of the dead. I love my father, but I hope that isn't what people mean when the use of love potions is involved. So I will attempt to solve your question backwardly.

What is it that I feel nothing for? As the opposite of love is not Hate, but the lack of any emotion, that would be the best place to eliminate that which I am not attracted to.

I really do not appreciate Ms. Granger when she tries to correct my theories on the basis that she can't find them in a book. There are allot of books she hasn't seen, and allot of things left to be discovered in the universe. She's not the final judge on what can and can not be. She treats Magic as a Science, and not as Magic. Which I'm sure is why Divination escapes her completely and Arithmancy comes so easily.

I can't say I'm a big fan of the Slytherin. Not because of the evil really, but because of the hive mentality that runs them... That is a rather big disadvantage in most of the houses though so I can't just blame them all. Just the mentality.

But what do I like then? I like the color red I suppose, that's why I think the Weasely's are cute. When I first started here, I think I had a crush on Fred and George, until I realized they had this thing with their entire quidditch team. It's hard to explain, though it's possible that Ginny knows about it, but she doesn't understand it completely either. Red freckles, the reddest of red hair, it's hard to imagine not being attracted to them. They're all so fiery and emotional. It's such a mystery to me. How can anyone be that excited about a game where you throw a ball through a hoop?

But I don't really like Ronald Weasley. He's interesting I suppose. He is kinda cute, but he obsesses about Quidditch too much and throws hissy fits. Not at all like Ginny. Well, Ginny does like Quidditch, but she doesn't have the fits. And she idolizes the Twins, and she has a trouble making streak that has yet to fully blossom. Its quite interesting really. To me.

It's possible I'm just obsessed with the girl. Perhaps it's simply the weather, or maybe the shampoo she uses. Any number of factors really. Possibly too many to think of at this point in time.

--

Luna closed the black leather book, tracing her finger along the spine, reactivating the various seals, locks, and charms that kept this book above all her others hidden and safe. While she could live with any of her textbooks walking away (Having read most of them over the summer break), this one book contained her most secret of thoughts. Possibly even pieces of her soul.

Though she could live without it, not having an outlet for all her thoughts would drive her to the depths of madness. So her 'diary' as other girls would call it, was more vital to her then sunlight for a flower.


	4. Don't just stuff things into bags

I still don't own any of it.

But I do doubt that Luna will ever come out of the closet, though Ginny is a fine candidate for the 'I really did try not to be gay' crowd.

* * *

It was an OWL year, so there were some exceptions being made for students. So when Ginny was left alone in the common room, reading three different school books as the night grew later, no one thought anything of it. 

No one actually checked to see that they were actually school books. If any one actually paid a little more attention, they would have easily noticed that one book, for all she was touching it, was never even opened. The dark black leather cover seemed to absorb light, little faux lizard skin wrinkles sparkling in the light. And though there were no obvious locks on the tomb, the little book was still shut impossibly tight.

The second book, which remained open on the table, was open to a page of diagrams that any fourth or fifth year student could attempt with minimal chance of a dangerous backlash. Curse breaking for the Common Adventurer, Volume 2: Charms and Cantrips, if any one cared to look it up. Lines and diagrams were smeared with yellow highlighting pen, which really made no sense without the third book.

The book she kept in her hands at all times, was very simple. Just blank brown pages, covered with swirling pen marks and chicken scratch. The incomplete notes of Bill Weasley. The entire thing no bigger then a Reader's Digest, but filled with corollaries and corrections to the larger, and more official looking text book.

And why all this excess? Normally Ginny would be hard pressed to open more then one book at a time. With Quiddich practice, multiple classes, and the occasional date, she should already have too much to do for a little detour over in a class of magic considered too complex for standard education.

Of course, Ginny never liked turning down a challenge though. So when a strange, obviously hexed book was left just sitting on her bed, mere hours after talking with Luna about how much fun curse breaking would be, Ginny knew exactly what was going on! Luna in her infinite kindness had given her a book to practice on.

There was probably a candy center or something, to keep her attention on the job at hand. But the strange seals on the book would make a good challenge for her brother Bill, so if she could get it open, she would have a huge advantage even on him.

* * *

No, it wasn't in the library. 

Not in the Owlery.

Not in the Main Hall.

Not in the Observatory.

Checked the Owlery again. Mrs. White didn't have it.

She looked at the Owl again, "You sure?" the owl just bobbing her head up and down again.

Hedwig was such a silly name for an owl. Mrs. White was fifty... No, sixty eight times better then Hedwig. Wizards could be so silly some times. Especially when they started naming familiars all sorts of goofy names.

Mrs. White in the Owlery, with the candlestick. Now that was funny.

Maybe it was in the Library again, like the last time. Sure it was a little hard to break into at this time of night, but everyone expected Ravenclaws to break in. It's just what they do.

She definitely had it just before Potions started at least. Snape had been yelling at her for reading it in class, and she had to stuff it into her bag pretty quickly. But it was definitely there at the time.


End file.
